EVEN MEN CAN BREASTFEED

Do you know that the creation of mankind gives both men and women equal opportunity to play the role of breastfeeding? Are you a man? How have you been contributing to breastfeeding you children? Experts say even men can breastfeed a child.

breastfeeding-manAccording to the experts, breast milk is best for your baby, and the benefits of breastfeeding extend well beyond basic nutrition. Apart from containing all the vitamins and nutrients your baby needs in the first six months of life, breast milk is packed with disease-fighting substances that protect your baby from illness. That is experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.

In the views of the President, Society of Perinatal Medicine of Nigeria, SOPMON, Prof. Godwin Ajayi, the breast tissues of both sexes are made up of the same component to perform the same purpose.

Fundamental tissues

“The breasts of a woman and those of a man are made up of the same fundamental tissues. They both have fat tissues, glandular tissues and connective tissues, the only difference is the ratio of distribution and that is under the hormonal influence.”

Ajayi who addressed  nursing mothers during the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Baby-friendly Initiative” to mark the World Breast-feeding Week noted that women’s breasts are bigger than men’s  because they have more estrogen to produce milk.

“It does not have any adverse effect to the father or the baby just that the whole world has not started looking at it from that direction. It is just a simple transfer of benefits the father got from his mother and environment back to his baby.”

Ajayi further noted that the only way to get man interested in the issue of exclusive breastfeeding was by making them understand that they also can  play the role, Ajayi explained that in developing countries like Nigeria, one way parents can help their children is to breastfeed them properly so that they can do well in school and not be a victim of drop out.  “A study carried out by a colleague of mine in Central Africa, showed that  breastfeeding babies every 20 minutes makes their polartine level to be very high.”

“In advanced countries, some women even go into business of producing milk and store it to be given to others because of the beauty of it, just like the way women are selling their placenta and urine in advance country to produce hormones that are being marketed,” he added.

Speaking, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Community Health & Primary Care College of Medicine University of Lagos, Dr. Tolulope Olufunmilayo said that the benefits of breastfeeding infants are  enormous as it helps the children to survive and withstand infections, provides critical nutrients for the early development of their brains and bodies, promotes bonding between mother and baby, has a lifelong positive effect on health and  reduces chance of obesity in later life.”

Vanguard